Pomerania

If you hear people talking about Pomerania they’re referring to the geographical region that the tri-city finds itself in. Stretching between the mouths of the river Wisła, Odra and Recknitz, Pomerania (or Pomorze as it is known in Polish) translates to mean ‘sea coast’ and first written mention of it can be traced to a monastery document dating from 1080.

In 1871 the area was incorporated into Imperial Germany and as such many of the top German military leaders of the early 20th century and Nazi era hailed from the region. Following Germany’s defeat in WWII much of the territory was ceded to Poland, with the majority of Germans either fleeing or expelled from the region. Today what is traditionally recognized as the area of Pomerania is currently split between Poland and German. On the Polish side key cities include Gdańsk, Szczecin, Toruń and Bydgoszcz, while on the German side you’ll find urban settlements like Greifswald, Stralsund and Wolgast.